System and method to associate broadcast radio content with a transaction via an internet server

ABSTRACT

A system and method for providing services to users in vehicles based on radio broadcasts received by a vehicle&#39;s radio receiver. The system includes a computer-based vehicle unit located in a vehicle, a gateway configured to wirelessly send and receive information to and from the vehicle unit, and a computer-based server in communication with the gateway over a network. The vehicle unit includes a user interface component that presents the received content and radio broadcast and records user requests. The server processes the requests and sends confirmation messages back to the unit via the gateway when a request is completed or other information needs to be sent to the unit. The vehicle unit wirelessly receives a radio broadcast from a radio station, transmits user requests and vehicle information to the server via the gateway, and receives content back from the server.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.09/884,854 filed Jun. 18, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,472,075 which claimsthe benefit of Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/280,375 filed Mar.29, 2001.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to data communication and, morespecifically, to data communication to vehicles.

BACKGROUND

The following application is incorporated by reference as if fully setforth herein: U.S. application Ser. No. 09/884,854 filed Jun. 18, 2001.

With the increased popularity of wireless telecommunication via cellularphones, personal data assistants, and computers, literally millions ofconsumers are gaining access to the Internet for information, services,and applications. Mobile telecommunication is especially useful forvehicular travelers, providing them with universal access to informationand applications. Attempts have been made to parley traditional mobiletelecommunications systems into vehicle-based systems that allow usersto more easily and safely gain information and complete transactionsfrom the convenience of their automobile. One such attempt, forinstance, allows users to purchase music heard over the radio bycontacting an automated purchasing service via a cellular telephoneafter hearing the music over the vehicle radio. Such attempts, however,are generally limited to a single transaction or information request foronly a specific type of product, and do not provide the user with a widerange of information and transaction options related to a variety ofproducts and services. Moreover, such attempts do not incorporate theuse of vehicle information, such as vehicle location, traveling speed,and direction, to customize and tailor the information and transactionoptions to the specific needs of the user.

There is a need for a system and method that provides greaterflexibility for a user to obtain information and complete transactionsrelated to a wide range of products and services advertised over theradio, for example, food, music, event tickets, and books. The systemand method should also allow a mobile user to obtain customizedinformation and complete transactions associated with broadcast radiocontent based on specific information related to the vehicle'sparticular circumstances.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a system and method for providingservices to users in vehicles based on radio broadcasts received by aradio receiver in the vehicle. The system includes a computer-basedvehicle unit located in a vehicle, a gateway configured to wirelesslysend and receive information to and from the vehicle unit, and acomputer-based server in communication with the gateway over a network.The vehicle unit wirelessly receives a radio broadcast from a radiostation, transmits vehicle information, communicates radio broadcastinformation to the server via the gateway, and receives content from theserver via the gateway. The vehicle information includes vehiclelocation and the broadcast frequency or station identification to whichthe radio receiver is tuned. The content is associated with the radiobroadcast. The vehicle unit includes a user interface component thatpresents the received content and radio broadcast and records userrequests. The server processes the requests and sends confirmationmessages back to the unit via the gateway when a request has beencompleted or other information needs to be sent to the unit.

The server includes a receiving component that receives information fromthe vehicle via the gateway, a content generator that generates contentbased on prestored radio broadcast information and associated vehicleinformation, and a first sending component that sends the generatedcontent to the vehicle unit via the gateway. The server also includes atransaction component that completes a transaction based on the requestand prestored user information, a confirmation component that generatesa confirmation message based on the completed transaction, and a secondsending component that sends the generated confirmation message to thevehicle via the network and the gateway.

In accordance with still further aspects of the invention, the userinterface includes a microphone for recording requests and a speaker forpresenting received content audibly.

In accordance with yet other aspects of the invention, the userinterface includes a display for displaying one or more images ortextual information associated with at least a portion of the content orthe message.

In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, thetransaction component includes a voice recognition processor configuredto perform voice recognition processing of the recorded request.

In accordance with still further aspects of the invention, thetransaction component includes a monetary transfer component configuredto perform a monetary transfer with a bank system over a networkconnection based on user information and the user request.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, the transactioncomponent includes a business information component configured toretrieve information from a business system over a network connectionbased on the user request, wherein the confirmation information includesat least a portion of the information retrieved from the businesssystem.

In accordance with further aspects of the invention, the recorded userrequest is a request to purchase an item offered for purchase in one ormore of the received radio broadcast or the sent content.

As will be readily appreciated from the foregoing summary, the inventionprovides a system and method for improving services to users in vehiclesbased on radio broadcasts received by a radio receiver in the vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred and alternative embodiments of the present invention aredescribed in detail below with reference to the following drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary system for performingfunctions of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the contents of a vehicle interfaceunit of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating operation of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention provides a system and method for using broadcastradio content and wireless network communication to enhance userinteraction with a business from the user's vehicle. By way of overviewand with reference to FIG. 1, the present invention is a system 10 thatincludes a network 12 (such as the Internet), a wireless gateway 14, aradio station 16, at least one financial services system 18, businesssystem 20, and main system 22, all of which include a server and adatabase. Financial services system 18, business system 20, and mainsystem 22 are coupled to network 12. A user's vehicle 24 includes atelematic control unit 26 and a radio 28.

As shown in FIG. 2, the telematic control unit 26 includes a processor30, a built-in global positioning system (GPS) unit 32, a wirelesscommunication module 34, a vehicle information component 36, and a userinterface 38. Vehicle information component 36 extracts informationrelated to the vehicle's sensory status, such as engine specification,door lock/unlock status, and airbag deployment requirements from vehicle24. User interface 38 includes one or more of a microphone, a speaker, adisplay, such as a touch sensitive screen, and user interface buttons.

Main system 22 generates interactive content for use by the user at thevehicle. The interactive content can include a wide variety ofinformation including, for example, product information. The main systempreviously receives the interactive content from associated businessserver 20. Telematic control unit 26 sends the interactive content viagateway 14. Wireless communication module 34 wirelessly receives theinteractive content from gateway 14. Processor 30 presents the receivedinteractive content to the motorist via user interface 38. The contentis presented visually, audibly, or using a combination of both. Usingtelematic control unit 26, the user can select from the offered content(products or services) directly related to the broadcasted radiocontent.

The interactive content is related to broadcasted radio content and thespecific circumstances of the user. Main system 22 obtains informationrelated to the broadcasted radio content, such as broadcast timeschedule, from the business system. The main system determines whatinteractive content to send based on the radio station the motorist islistening to, and where to send the interactive content based on thevehicle's location. This information is obtained from the vehicle'stelematic control unit. Likewise, main system 22 obtains financialaccount information from the user, which in turn is used to authorizepurchases. The resulting system provides the user with a variety ofoptions with respect to making purchases based on the interactivecontent presented over the radio. For example, if a user hears a song onthe radio and requests to purchase that CD, the user can request topurchase one and have the cost charged to his/her account number anddelivered to an address on file. Alternatively, the user could authorizepurchase of the CD but, desiring to pick it up as soon as possible,could have the transaction completed at the nearest music store, so thatthe purchased product is waiting for pickup. In still anotherembodiment, the user drives vehicle 24 to a fast download site. Thedownload site (i.e., hot spot) is a location that has enhanced datachannel communication to vehicle 24, thereby allowing for a greateramount of data to be downloaded in a shorter period of time. The hotspot includes a wireless communications component capable ofcommunicating wireless data transmission content at a much greatercapacity to a vehicle in close proximity.

The telematic control unit's wireless communication module 34 is capableof sending and receiving both voice and data wirelessly to gateway 14.The wireless gateway is in direct communication with network 12. When amotorist or passenger makes a selection related to the presentedinteractive content, wireless communication module 34 sends a request inthe form of a message to process a transaction to wireless gateway 14,such as a request to purchase an item. The wireless gateway directs therequest to main system 22 for processing. The wireless gatewayfacilitates communication between a wireless network (e.g., cellulartelephone network) and other networks. Bridges, routers, and switchesare components of others systems that may be used to connect differentnetworks. Main system 22 determines if the user message is associatedwith a bank transaction, a business transaction, or both. The mainsystem communicates with bank server 18 for completing a banktransaction, such as verifying a user's credit card, account informationand address. Once the transaction is completed, main system 22 sendsconfirmation back to vehicle 24 via wireless gateway 14.

In one example, if the user selects to purchase an item (e.g., a subsandwich) that is included in a commercial advertisement radiobroadcast, the GPS receiver sends the user's current vehicle locationand trajectory information to main system 22 via network 12. The vehiclelocation is checked against the business transaction server to locatethe nearest establishment associated with the broadcasted content.Furthermore, a timestamp is used in determining the estimated time ofarrival (ETA) with respect to that establishment. A confirmation of thetransaction and the location of the establishment are sent back to theuser interface.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an illustrative routine for the operation oftelematic control unit 26 utilizing main system 22 to send and retrieveinformation relating to monetary transactions and radio broadcastcontent via the Internet is described. First, at block 60, the telematiccontrol unit 26 receives the radio broadcast signal. Typically, theradio broadcast signal originates from a radio tower in analog form andis transmitted to a radio receiver in vehicle 24. At block 62,information related to the radio broadcast is determined. In this step,the main system determines the radio broadcast channel informationassociated with the vehicle. This may be accomplished by sending radiobroadcast channel information from the telematic control unit to themain system. The main system uses radio broadcast channel information todetermine what information is related to the radio broadcast of interestto the vehicle user. At block 64, the main system 22 sends informationcontent related to the radio broadcast to telematic control unit 26 viagateway 14. The information content is a function of what the radiostation is broadcasting and the businesses that are participating in thesystem. Next, at block 66, if the user makes a selection pertaining toany of the information content presented by telematic control unit 26,the telematic control unit sends information related to the user'sselection as well as vehicle information to main system 22 via awireless communication link. The information sent from the telematiccontrol unit to the main system can include vehicle location andtrajectory, a request to perform a transaction, or a request for moreinformation concerning broadcast content. The wireless communicationlink may include a cellular station, a satellite dish, or other wirelesscommunication system, which provides access to network 12.

At block 68, main system 22 searches a database to process the requestfor more information related to the broadcasted content, or to processthe request to perform a monetary transaction. In an alternativeembodiment, main system 22 can send information about content to bebroadcast in the near future, for example, the title of songs that willbe broadcast in the next 15 minutes. This information is sent to thetelematic control unit's cache memory to be displayed in a timelyfashion. The telematic control unit discards the cache information inthe event the user switches radio stations or frequencies.

At block 70, main system 22 retrieves textual or audio informationrelated to the processed request and returns the results to telematiccontrol unit 26. At block 72, the telematic control unit presents thereceived results, which includes a digest of information about thebroadcast requested, confirmation results of any monetary transaction,and directions to a requested site or any other information generated bymain system 22. The digest of information can be displayed on thetelematic control unit's display, or the vehicle radio's display. Thetelematic control unit can also present results aurally.

In one example, a user in a vehicle listening to music wishes to requestmore information about the music, or wishes to purchase a CD of theplaying music. For instance, the song “Candy” is playing on the radio.The display on telematic control unit 26 shows “Candy Everybody . . . ”after related information is received from main system 22 via thenetwork and the gateway. The user can request more information, byeither pressing a button or uttering a keyword or phrase. For example,the user says “song information.” The microphone receives these words,after which telematic control unit 26 digitizes the received words anddelivers them to main system 22 for voice processing. Alternatively, thecontent may have already been downloaded and is simply played to theuser. The telematic control unit either responds aurally and/or displaysthe textual information: “Candy Everybody Wants by 10,000 Maniacs, CD$7.00, in stock” that is received from main system 22. The user canfurther request to purchase the CD by either pressing a button oruttering a keyword. Once the user says “Purchase,” the telematic controlunit sends a request to the server via the network. The server processesthe request to purchase the CD by contacting the CD production companyusing the user's financial service company to complete the transaction.The telematic control unit verbally responds or displays a confirmation,for example: “Your confirmation code is CM1234. The CD will be sent toyour address on file.”

In another example, a user listens to an advertisement for a sandwichrestaurant, the user can purchase a sub from the sandwich restaurant byeither pressing a button or uttering a keyword, for example: “Buy jumboclub.” The request is sent to the server via the Internet, and telematiccontrol unit 26 responds or displays: “The nearest subway location isabout 0.7 miles off exit 167 and has a drive-through. Would you like tobuy your club sandwich at that location for $1.99?” The user can thenpurchase the sandwich, by either pressing a button or uttering“Purchase.” Once the user selects to purchase the sandwich, a request issent to the server via network 12, which processes the request andreturns an order number. The telematic control unit displays orresponds: “Your order number is 57.”

Continuing with FIG. 3, at block 72, telematic control unit 26 displaysresults of a request or a confirmation of a monetary transaction. Atblock 74, main system 22 determines if the user selected a request formore information or a monetary transaction. As previously described, auser can request for more information or a monetary transaction relatedto the broadcast by either pressing a button or uttering a keyword orphrase. If it is determined that a user selected a request for atransaction (whether monetary or for more information) at block 74, therequest is sent over a wireless communication link to main system 22 forprocessing. If, at block 74, it is determined the user did not select toprocess any requests, then the logic continues to decision block 76 todetermine if the user has turned off the telematic control unit. If itis determined that the user wishes to continue receiving radio broadcastsignals, then the logic returns to the beginning, where another radiobroadcast signal is received and processed accordingly. If, at block 76,it is determined the user has turned off the telematic control unit, theprocess ends at block 78.

In an alternate embodiment, the vehicle is equipped with a TV receiverand the broadcast content is television. In this embodiment, the vehicleuser or passenger can interact with the system in a similar manner asoutlined above.

In still another embodiment, the processor in the vehicle performs voicerecognition processing of the voice request to generate textualrepresentation of the recorded request. The processor in the vehiclethen sends the textual representation of the recorded request to theserver.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, as noted above, many changes can be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope ofthe invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferredembodiment. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely byreference to the claims that follow.

1. A method comprising: wirelessly receiving, with an electronic device,vehicle information, including a radio station identifier, from avehicle over a data network; determining, with the electronic device,content based on the radio station identifier and a location, based onthe vehicle information, to which the content is to be transmitted;wirelessly transmitting, with the electronic device, the content to thevehicle via the data network, the content being presentable in a userinterface in the vehicle; after transmitting the content, wirelesslyreceiving, with the electronic device, over the data network at leastone request made by a user based on the presented content; processing,with the electronic device, each said request made by the user, whereinprocessing comprises generating a confirmation message upon completing atransaction based on the request and stored user information; andwirelessly transmitting, with the electronic device, the generatedconfirmation message to the vehicle over the data network, theconfirmation message being presentable in the user interface.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the content or themessage is configured to be presented audibly.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein at least a portion of the content or the message is configuredto be displayed visually.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the userrequest comprises a user phonation.
 5. The method of claim 4, whereinprocessing comprises performing voice recognition processing of thephonation.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein completing comprises:contacting a bank system; and executing a monetary transfer based onuser information and the request.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereincompleting comprises: contacting a business system; and receiving, withthe electronic device, information from the business system relating tothe request, wherein the confirmation message comprises at least aportion of the information received from the business system.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein a request comprises a request to purchase anitem offered for purchase in one or more of the received radio broadcastor the sent content.